1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to toy missiles which are let fly by a player and are caught by a catcher, and more particularly to a soft missile of this type having the configuration of a humanoid figure and when caught, then generating sounds which are appropriate to the figure.
2. Status of Prior Art
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,261 (Spector) discloses a figurative toy missile in animal-like or humanoid form defined by a head and a torso having appendages extending therefrom. The missile structure is such that when the missile is thrown by a player, it will spin or execute other excursions in flight, depending on how the appendages are grasped by the player. The torso is formed by an outer fabric casing enclosing a rubber balloon inflated with water, whereby the torso functions as a weighted ball.
Disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,875 (Spector) is a toy missile resembling a humanoid figure, the missile including a plastic film casing confining an inflated balloon which causes the casing to assume a ball-like form. Printed on the front face of the casing is the head and torso of the figure. Hinged to an upper zone of the casing and extending therefrom is a first pair of plastic film pockets in each of which is entrapped a compressible fill to define the arm and hand appendages of the figure. Hinged to a lower zone of the casing and extending therefrom is a second pair of plastic film pockets in each of which is entrapped a compressible filler to define the leg and feet appendages of the figure. When a player grasps one of the appendages and then whirls the missile and lets it fly, the ball then rotates in the course of flight, causing the appendages to stretch out from the ball to stabilize the flight pattern.
An advantage of toy missiles of the type disclosed in my prior patents is that they are soft and compressible; hence should the missile in the course of flight strike a child, it will inflict no injury even if it hits the head of the child. This safety factor is lacking in flying toy missiles made of rigid plastic materials, such as "Frisbee" flying discs.
In toy missiles disclosed in my prior patents, in order to create the body of the humanoid figure one must inflate a balloon within a fabric or plastic-film casing. One drawback of this arrangement is that when the balloon is inflated, it must then be sealed by knotting the neck of the balloon. An inflated balloon, when so sealed, tends to leak; hence a few hours after the balloon is inflated, it becomes partially deflated, thereby impairing its flying characteristics.
A toy missile whose body is formed by an air-inflated balloon is relatively light. Hence when playing outdoors, the missile is easily deflected in flight by wind gusts so that it cannot be directed by the player toward a catcher. And if the balloon is filled with water, it is so heavy that when the missile is caught, its impact with the hands of the catcher may be painful.
Since a missile in accordance with the invention includes a sound producing unit that it activated when the missile is caught, of prior art interest is the Howard U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,894. This patent discloses a tethered ball enclosing a pressure-activated audio circuit which when activated produces screaming sounds.
And since a missile in accordance with the invention has beans or beads enclosed within a fabric casing, of prior art interest is the patent to Goldfarb U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,121. This patent discloses a doll having a cloth casing filled with beans or plastic beads.